Henry Moskowitz’s Reviews > The Reluctant Fundamentalist > Status Update

In this section of the book, we get to see an important reaction from Changez on the bombing of Afghanistan. The attack makes him feel angry and sad because innocent people are suffering. It makes him see what America really is and pushes him to question America's actions. I think this feeling will later on be a factor in why he distanced himself from America.

Starting the middle third of the book, reading how Changez was pleased after the Twin Towers were destroyed was shocking. After hearing the news in Manila and flying back to New York, he felt uncomfortable on the plane because of his appearance. I asked myself why he felt pleased. I think he felt pleased because the attack made America seem less powerful and forced him to face feelings of anger and not belonging.

Changez and Jim’s interview stood out to me and was easy to relate to. Changez focused on his grades and academic success, while Jim asked questions beyond academics to see what made him different from other candidates and useful to the company, which helps Changez grow by valuing more than intelligence. This reminded me of school interviews because schools wanted to know what made me the right choice.

On the back of the book I remember reading a little about Erica, and in the first 40 pages we start to see who she really is through Changez’s eyes. He notices how smart, quiet, and kind she seems, and can’t help but be drawn to her. I’m really curious to see how their relationship will change the story and how Erica might influence Changez’s thoughts and choices.

Throughout the first chapter of the book, two things stood out to me: the tea shop and Princeton. On the outside, Changez said it didn’t look super fancy but had some of the best tea he had ever had. Princeton, on the other hand, looked fancy from the outside, but he felt the students were average. This comparison shows appearances can be misleading and suggests Changez will look past first impressions.